Chapter 95 Jinjiang Exclusive Prince Pants
Before leaving Liulin County, Wang Huiting first studied under Su Ruyi, or more precisely, under Xu Xiaonan.
Xu Xiaonan is now fully capable of handling things on her own and is the most trusted and competent person after Su Ruyi.
Xu Xiaonan now has a junior assistant by her side, who is about the same age as her, so she is very experienced in managing Wang Huiting.
When Su Ruyi was setting up the deputy director position for the garment factory, she had spoken with Xu Xiaonan to ask for her opinion.
After careful consideration, Xu Xiaonan still declined.
"Sister Ruyi, thank you for your trust. I feel that I am not yet competent for this position, and I would like to continue to learn from you."
"Have you thought it through? If you stay by my side, you'll still be my secretary, and you'll have to travel back and forth between the county and the provincial capital. Although our garment factory isn't very large, with its current development, it will be one of the best in our county in the future."
At that time, the factory had more than 100 workers. Backed by the largest textile factory in Liulin County, it was a force to be reckoned with in Liulin County, even though it was a private enterprise.
Su Ruyi also invited Li Mingde, the deputy director of the textile factory, to be the special advisor of the garment factory. Because the two companies had a close cooperation, the textile factory made a special approval. Although it required giving up some profits, it ensured the normal operation of the garment factory.
Xu Xiaonan is a native of Liulin County. It is rare in the history of Liulin County for someone so young to become the deputy factory director.
The garment factory is only a part of Su Ruyi's business empire, and she won't put all her energy into it. That means that the position of deputy factory director is just like that of the factory director.
This is likely the highest position Xu Xiaonan could reach if she stayed in Liulin County; once missed, it's not easy to have it again.
Xu Xiaonan was well aware of this, yet she still affirmed:
“My qualifications and abilities are not yet sufficient, and I also want to learn from you for a longer period of time. I also want to go out and see more of the world.”
Xu Xiaonan has grown rapidly this year and has gained a clear understanding of herself and the outside world.
Although Xu Xiaonan could keep the factory afloat when Su Ruyi wasn't around, she knew her abilities were still limited, and that was all thanks to Su Ruyi's advance planning and remote control.
If she were to independently manage the entire factory's production, sales, personnel, and future planning, she would find it difficult to do so at present.
Seeing that she had figured it out, Su Ruyi didn't continue to persuade her.
Xu Xiaonan is indeed still young. Although she is very capable and learns quickly, she is still young and inexperienced, and her interpersonal skills are not mature enough.
If it weren't for Li Mingde's help in taking care of her, she probably wouldn't have made this decision.
"Then you should prepare to settle down in the provincial capital in the future."
Xu Xiaonan happily agreed, "That's what I thought too."
Over the past year, she has witnessed firsthand how rapidly the provincial capital has changed, changing almost daily. Although Liulin County has also changed, it pales in comparison.
Many people's thinking is still stuck in the past, and they are completely unable to keep up with the changes in society.
Xu Xiaonan used to envy people who worked in state-owned factories in the county, but she no longer feels that way because she deeply understands that if things continue like this, many people's "iron rice bowls" will be smashed by the progress of the times.
This is just the provincial capital, and its development is relatively slow compared to cities in the south. Xu Xiaonan wants to visit cities in the south in the future. If she stays in Liulin County, although she will also go out to investigate, the specific differences are still significant.
Having confirmed Xu Xiaonan's idea, Su Ruyi selected three people from the factory as deputy factory directors: one to be in charge of production, one to be in charge of external sales and publicity, and the other to be Zhou Xiang, who was in charge of design.
Everyone performs their duties, cooperates with each other, and supervises one another.
The deputy factory director in charge of external affairs was also a veteran of the factory, Zhao Fangfang, who was originally a textile factory worker. Zhao Fangfang was cheerful, generous, and decisive, and very good at interpersonal communication. She volunteered to go into sales, finding the work more interesting. She was simply impatient with the monotonous, repetitive work and preferred challenging tasks.
She was also the most skilled salesperson in the team. This woman dared to go to other provinces by herself to promote the factory's products. No matter how others ridiculed or ignored her, she didn't care. As long as she could close the deal, she could handle anything.
Zhao Fangfang was one of the few who was willing to give up her formal job at the textile factory. Of those who came from the textile factory, apart from the family members who were originally unemployed, most of the people with official positions chose to go back after the factory reopened.
After all, these days, a secure job is still more respectable and reliable.
Despite opposition, Zhao Fangfang made this choice, largely due to her family's financial situation and her own adventurous and enterprising nature. Su Ruyi lived up to her efforts; Zhao Fangfang's salary plus commissions would be exceptionally high anywhere.
Su Ruyi came to the design department. That year, the factory rebuilt two rows of tiled houses as offices. One row was the administrative office, with the factory director's office, meeting room, finance office, etc., and the other row was the design department, materials department, etc.
The new office building is about to be topped out, and these two rows of brick houses will not be wasted; they will be used as staff dormitories.
The garment factory is located in the suburbs, some distance from the homes of many workers. Although there is a security team to protect them and safety is not a concern, it is still inconvenient, especially on rainy days when it is even more troublesome.
Having employee dormitories would avoid such problems.
It's not realistic to provide housing for employees right now, as Su Ruyi rented the place, not bought it. However, providing one dormitory room is not a problem.
The design department is very spacious, several times larger than the factory manager's office, and the lights inside are the brightest. It is filled with fabrics, wooden mannequins, and other items.
There weren't many people in the design department, just Zhou Xiang and two assistants.
The two assistants were hired later, a man and a woman, who were both tailors before.
Su Ruyi also wanted to hire a professional designer, but these days such talent is really hard to find, so she had to settle for second best.
However, it's enough for now. Su Ruyi has a clear vision for the garment factory: to only produce basic styles, targeting the lower and middle-class market, without seeking variety in styles, but rather to perfect one style and make it affordable after mass production. Therefore, the garment factory currently mainly produces leggings and T-shirts.
"Factory Manager." Several people who were working turned around to greet Su Ruyi when they saw her.
Su Ruyi nodded to them: "You can continue with your work."
"Factory manager, we've finished making the Prince Pants you mentioned. Come and see if they look like this."
Zhou Xiang stood up and handed two pairs of pants on the workbench to Su Ruyi, saying, "This one has eight pleats, and this one has twelve pleats."
"This material is quite thick." Su Ruyi touched it with her hand.
"This material is specially designed for autumn and winter. You can wear thermal underwear underneath to get through the winter. We have also made a pair of the thinner version here."
Zhou Xiang took the other two as well, her expression showing incomprehension.
"Do these pants really need to be made that big?"
Prince trousers are wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, characterized by exaggerated pleats and wide legs. Eight pleats are the most common, with four pleats on each side arranged symmetrically. The more pleats, the more expensive the trousers. Pleats affect the drape of the trousers, so they are very important.
Su Ruyi only makes the most basic eight-pleat and the next level twelve-pleat. She doesn't participate in the sixteen-pleat and twenty-four-pleat designs, as those are high-end styles.
Even so, the legs of the eight-pleated prince trousers were wide enough that, in modern terms, "the legs could fit four chickens." These trousers had already begun circulating in the provincial capital market and were the most fashionable attire for young men, but they were rarely seen in Liulin County.
Zhou Xiang was an old-fashioned person and couldn't understand these kinds of pants. However, even though she didn't understand them, she still did her best to make them. She didn't understand footed pants at first either, but look at them now, they're selling like hotcakes, and almost every woman of any age has a pair.
Not only did the garment factories make a fortune, but the textile factories also revived, now mainly producing fabric for leggings. Because they entered the market early, many garment factories from both within and outside the province have come to them for business.
Su Ruyi laughed and said, "This is a recent trend in trousers. It's starting to gain popularity in the provincial capital, and it's already fashionable in southern cities. These trousers can flatter the leg shape."
Zhou Xiang sighed, "Things are changing so fast now. Everything looks different every minute, and they're all so flashy. It's nothing like before, when you could wear the same clothes for years and only choose those two colors."
"So even though we only make basic styles, we still have to keep up with the trends, otherwise we'll easily be eliminated."
Su Ruyi took away the several pairs of pants she had made and had the men try them on to see how they looked and felt.
Prince Pants also comes in women's versions, but Su Ruyi primarily targets the men's market.
She found men of different body types and had them try on the clothes, and not one of them disliked them.
The older folks might not understand why the pants were made so loose, but they found them quite comfortable to wear.
Li Guangqian was even more enamored with them: "Boss, these pants will definitely sell like hotcakes once they're produced! Hong Kong and Taiwanese celebrities all wear these. If you pair them with military or police boots, oh my god, how cool would that be!"
Li Guangqian's excited expression made Su Ruyi even more certain that this path was feasible.
If we've conquered leggings, how can we forget about the prince pants, a key fashion symbol of the 1990s?
We need to work on both women's and men's clothing.
"I'll send you two when the first batch comes out."
Li Guang cheered and laughed so hard his eyes disappeared from his grin.
He's not short of money now; he can still afford two pairs of pants. But the meaning behind Su Ruyi's gift is different.
Su Ruyi looked at Zhu Qiang, "Zhu Qiang, would you be willing to be the brand ambassador for Prince Pants?"
Zhu Qiang was stunned: "Huh?"
Zhu Qiang had been practicing martial arts since elementary school. He wasn't very tall, probably around 1.75 meters, but that was considered good for that era. He had broad shoulders and long legs, good proportions, and was very handsome with thick eyebrows and big eyes. Even with a buzz cut, his good looks were undeniable.
Every time he patrolled the factory, the female workers couldn't help but take a few more glances as they passed by.
His family was poor before, and many girls wanted to marry him, even though he barely spoke two words a day and didn't know how to please them.
He now works in a garment factory, where he is responsible for security and earns a decent income. He also occasionally goes on field trips with finance or sales staff, which provides additional subsidies. As a result, his financial situation has greatly improved, and he has become more popular.
However, he was an upright person and did not become arrogant because of the admiration he received. He never accepted gifts from girls, nor did he get too close to them. If someone confessed their feelings to him, he would express his feelings clearly without embarrassing the other person. He would not speak to girls alone except for official business and kept himself pure and chaste.
"Just like the girls in the brochure for leggings, you can also take some photos of our factory's Prince Pants for future promotion. You'll receive extra compensation in addition to your salary, and the compensation won't be low."
Zhu Qiang blushed and hurriedly waved his hands, "This, this I can't do it, how could I possibly do it?"
Those promotional brochures are posted everywhere. He escorted Xu Xiaonan to the provincial capital before and saw the shops there. At that time, there was a big poster outside with that girl on it.
The girl was none other than Luo Youqiong. She had a good image and stage experience, and was very expressive in front of the camera. She had even won a hula hoop competition award, so Su Ruyi invited her to be the image model for the leggings.
Although Zhu Qiang lacked such experience, some people are naturally suited to the camera. When they were taking photos at the factory before, Su Ruyi noticed that Zhu Qiang was more eye-catching in front of the camera. He stood there expressionless, but he still exuded a cool guy vibe. Even his buzz cut looked fashionable.
Su Ruyi is a stickler for aesthetics, so the work clothes she custom-made for the workers were not only comfortable but also beautiful. In particular, the uniforms for the security team were designed in the style of German military uniforms, and each one was quite expensive.
She euphemistically said, "If the people in the garment factory don't dress well, how can they convince customers?"
The security team was a sight to behold, with both men and women looking incredibly handsome, but Zhu Qiang was the most eye-catching among them.
He was only of average height in the security team, but he was always the first person you would notice. His build, his demeanor, and his looks would never be overlooked in a crowd.
Although Zhu Qiang wasn't outrageously handsome, he was good enough for Su Ruyi. A model doesn't necessarily need to be extremely beautiful or handsome, but he must be expressive.
If worn poorly, the prince pants can easily give off a rustic, rural vibe, while if worn too formally, they can look out of place. Zhu Qiang's version is just right.
With just a little guidance, Su Ruyi is very confident that she can help him create a masterpiece of life.
Before Su Ruyi could speak, Li Guangqian interrupted:
"Why not? You definitely can! If I looked like you, I would definitely go for it!"
Zhu Qiang still felt uneasy. He didn't know what expression to make in front of the camera; he looked completely wooden. His father said that he looked like a coffin in photos, and he didn't want his image to ruin the clothing factory's reputation.
Su Ruyi laughed and said, "Fashion really needs someone like you."
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